#4 Evaluating Intercultural behaviour

I will be talking about an intercultural scenario that occurred in the movie, Japanese Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UPP9cTQ5Ps&feature=related

Please watch the link above for a clearer picture. I can assure you that this well-filmed clip is thought-provoking. You may want to watch the entire movie too, like me. If you do own a VCD/DVD or download of this movie and don’t mind lending it to me, I will be very grateful=).

In this video, you will first see a flushed-face Japanese man standing beside his luggage. After pacing around for a while, he finally leaned against his luggage, probably out of exhaustion for having to stand rigidly in a suit under the hot sun. Apparently, his host, Sandy was late. Being punctual is highly important in Japan, as it indicates respect for the other party.

When his host finally arrived, he went back on his feet with his back straight, portraying a graceful and respectful figure. He allowed his host to approach him and start the conversation before offering his business card politely. In the Japanese business etiquette, exchanging business cards is de rigueur in formal introductions. You should extend your card to the other person with both hands and with the card positioned in the right side up to him (upside down to you). You should receive cards with both hands too. Be sure to look at the card and not just pocket it. Never put it in your pants pocket and sit on it in front of the guest, which is, unfortunately, what Sandy did in the clip.

Also, Sandy placed her hands on her hips while speaking to her guest, which is a sign of anger or discontentment in most cultures. In addition to the hands-on-hip gesture, she made other huge body gestures, which may seem unfeminine to Hiromitsu. Also, it was rude of her to flick Hiromitsu’s name card on her hands after receiving the name card from him.

As the more expressive party of the 2, Sandy was obviously offended that Hiromitsu took no initiative to load his luggage into her jeep. His lack of sensitivity towards women is born of Japanese male chauvinism, a norm in the Japanese society. There is no “ladies first” custom in Japan.

Hiromitsu then went into the back seat, clearly mistaking Sandy for his chauffer. I felt that he could have been less assuming and spoke more to Sandy to clarify the situation.

In the car, Sandy tried to hold a casual conversation with Hiromitsu. She was making an effort to entertain the guest and reduce the tension that was built up earlier by a poor first impression of each other. On the contrary, Hiromitsu seemed reluctant to chat with her. I found out that Japanese use silence as a form of communication as much as speaking. Sandy’s question “Is it hot enough for you?” was met with a direct “yes” from Hiromitsu. Japanese style of conversation is very direct, without any irony or sarcasm. In contrast, Sandy’s question borders on a playful context and gives room for a creative reply. This cue was not taken up by Hiromitsu though. He was reticent, which did not go well with the more outgoing and expressive nature of Australians.

Moreover, Japanese think that multi-tasking is rude when one is in a conversation. Thus when Sandy spoke, he immediately turned his attention to her and lowered his camera.

In addtion to all the cultural taboos she had committed against the Japanese, Sandy's brusque and unfeminine body language, together with her talkative nature seemed to have repulsed Hiromitsu. Concurrently, Sandy is put off by Hiromitsu’s reticent, uptight and ungentlemanly behavior. Both parties seemed ignorant of each other's culture. Their inflexibility to adjust to the situation and understand each other may be due to pride.

There is no definite right or wrong when it comes to intercultural communication because either party will be acting a manner that he has been brought up to recognize as the most polite or appropriate way to behave. The question is which cultural milieu should you adopt in a cross-cultural meeting? I always believe that I should adopt the etiquettes and practice of a nation that I am visiting. If I am hosting in my country, I will still learn the cultural and social etiquettes that my guests practice. However, I will gradually and patiently introduce them to my nation’s way of doing things.

#3 blog post - Letter Critique

Please open the letter in another tab (right click to find that option) so that you can read the words. Sorry for the inconvenience caused. Do suggest a better way of uploading the letter to make it larger. Thank you!

This letter compliments Novation Business School for bringing into Singapore three sports courses. This letter is very courteous as there are no criticisms at all and the tone is very amiable and respectful.
It is also grammatically correct. I believe that the facts such as the names of the courses are accurate too. In fact, there are few facts in this letter as it is mainly filled with the writer’s opinions, admiration and well wishes for Novation Business School.
The letter is well-structured with short paragraphs and coherent sentences that make comprehension easy. For instance, the first paragraph introduces Novation Business School and the sports courses they offer. Subsequently, the writer speaks of the appropriateness and benefits of these courses. Then he strongly recommends the courses. Finally, he compliments Novation business School.
All these information were given in a concise manner. Each paragraph conveys a point within a sentence or 2. Despite the short length of the letter, the writer seems sincere.
It seems that the writer values the availability of these courses and knows the courses well when he listed the names of the three courses offered by the business school. This fulfils concreteness of the information given in the letter, as the names of the courses ascertain their availability.
I can find almost no fault in the letter except in the second paragraph, where the writer could have given an example on how the courses complement the sports club and its athletes and officials. There is a small language error in the second paragraph. Instead of “to an ever higher level,” it probably should have been “to an even higher level.”

#2 Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

After a series of interviews with the nominees, a discussion among the teachers-in-charge and the captains was held. Decisions were eventually made. The male and the female captains were the news bearer of the newly elected executive committee for the track and field team the following year. The decisions were tough to make as there was no particularly outspoken person with prominent leadership skills. Also, the team was segregated into cliques with no significant individuals who can blend in with all the groups well.

The announcement of the newly-elected captains, secretary and treasurer created a stir among the members. The present executive committee then came to discover the issue that was fuelling the unrest.

Apparently, the newly-elected treasurer, Diane was unhappy with the newly-elected captain, Jan, due to Diane’s unpleasant working experience with Jan in the past. Moreover, Diane disliked the way Jan carried herself partly because she saw Jan as a ‘bootlicker’ and one who talks more than she works. She felt that she could not work under a person she had no respect and liking for. This immense discontentment could not be concealed. Diane started to share her negative opinions about Jan with the team members; meanwhile she fished around for feedback about Jan as Captain. Soon enough, she approached the teacher-in-charge about her disapproval of Jan as the new captain supported by similar feedback she claimed was given to her by some team members.

Jan, on the other hand, heard these criticisms. As a result, she was hurt and upset. She hardly retaliated, or maybe she did not know how she should respond. Both Jan and Diane simply gave each other the cold shoulder when they happen to meet. The team members could sense the tension brewing between them, which was unhealthy for team morale.

The problem was that slander against the new captain was spread in the team. The credibility of the reasons behind Diane’s disapproval of the new captain was not the main issue. Diane had not only disrespected the new captain and undermined the authority of the present captains and teachers-in-charge, but also sowed discord within the team. Which party (the present executive committee, new executive committee or Jan) should step out to solve the problem? How should each party deal with this conflict?

Extra: This conflict was resolved but more arose in the near future, within the newly-elected ex-committee. Maybe you will want to think of solutions that can reduce future misunderstandings as well =)